Dixon plays it cool, captures IndyCar title

Oct. 19, 2013

Updated 10:49 p.m.

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Helio Castroneves (right) congratulates Scott Dixon for winning the IndyCar Series Championship after finishing fifth in the MAVTV 500 on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. ALEX GALLARDO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Scott Dixon of New Zealand driver of the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda leads a pack of cars during the IZOD IndyCar Series MAVTV 500 World Championship at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. ROBERT LABERGE, GETTY IMAGES

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Scott Dixon of New Zealand driver of the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda makes a pit stop during the IZOD IndyCar Series MAVTV 500 World Championship at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. ROBERT LABERGE, GETTY IMAGES

Tony Kanaan (11), of Brazil, leads a pack during the IndyCar race at Auto Club Speedway, Saturday in Fontana. ALEX GALLARDO, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Will Power celebrates in the winners circle after winning the MAVTV 500 IndyCar race on Saturday night at Auto Club Speedway. ALEX GALLARDO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Will Power of Australia, driver of the #12 Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet leads at the start of the IZOD IndyCar Series MAVTV 500 World Championship at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. ROBERT LABERGE, GETTY IMAGES

Helio Castroneves (right) congratulates Scott Dixon for winning the IndyCar Series Championship after finishing fifth in the MAVTV 500 on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. ALEX GALLARDO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FONTANA – Scott Dixon didn’t need to lead a lap (but he did) or win the race Saturday night.

He clinched his third IndyCar Series title for Chip Ganassi Racing with a smart, sound run to fifth place in the MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway.

Only engine overheating, caused by debris pick-up in a crash-filled race, slowed Dixon in his charge to the championship, which he won by 27 points over Roger Penske driver Helio Castroneves.

“Mid-year, I did not think we had a chance to do this,” said Dixon, who won Team Ganassi’s 10th title. “It all turned around at Pocono (which he won July 7).

“It was a crazy day. We started back. The car, we had to work on a fair bit through the race. Just a huge credit to Team Target (Ganassi’s sponsor). They played everything straight tonight.”

Castroneves, who needed to win and have Dixon finish worse than eighth, came home in sixth place, a lap down, as a series title continues to elude the three-time Indy 500 winner at age 38.

Penske’s Will Power won the race. He needed to win last year but didn’t as his title bid came up a race short.

“It was the most satisfying win of my life,” said Power, who started from the pole.

There were 28 lead changes among 11 drivers in the 250-lap, 500-mile race on the 2-mile oval. Power led the most laps, 111, and inherited the lead for good when Charlie Kimball’s motor gave up with 12 laps remaining.

Castroneves was fighting for the lead with Ganassi’s Kimball with 30 laps left, only to sustain damage to his car’s left wing, forcing a pit stop that put the one-time “Dancing With the Stars” champion a lap down.

“It was a shame we had contact with 83 (Kimball),” Castroneves said. “I knew he wasn’t going to give an inch. It was hard-fought.”

The result was Castroneves wasn’t able to take advantage when Dixon had to make his late stop – under yellow because of Sebastien Bourdais’ crash – to clear debris from his radiator.

Even the unflappable Penske made an error on this wild night, telling Castroneves to pit after Alex Tagliani spun on Lap 210 – only the pit road was closed under yellow at the time, forcing Castroneves to endure a subsequent drive-through penalty, forcing him to restart ninth and a lap down on Lap 214.

“That really helped us when the overheating thing came up,” said Dixon, 33, who won his previous titles in 2003 and 2008. So don’t bet against him in 2018.

“I guess the five-year thing came into play,” he said. “This is such an unbelievable feeling.”

Dixon played it cool from the beginning after starting 17th. He made up six spots – from 12th to sixth – on the second round of pit stops, caused by contact between Sebastian Saavedra and Pippa Mann on Lap 71.

But Castroneves took the lead for the first time on the Lap 82 restart, earning a vital bonus point.

Justin Wilson suffered a fractured pelvis after his crash on Lap 140 that involved six cars.

NOTES

In the afternoon Indy Lights race, the Lefty Kids Club 100, Carlos Munoz repeated his Fontana victory from last year after a long battle with Gabby Chaves. Munoz is headed for a full-time IndyCar ride in 2014. …

The victory was the 21st of Power’s IndyCar career and third this season. …

The $250,000 available to either Dixon or Kanaan had they won the MAVTV 500 as two-thirds of the Fuzzy’s Triple Crown went unawarded. …

Dario Franchitti, who missed the race because of injuries suffered Oct. 6 in Houston, also has three IndyCar titles for Ganassi. …

Through the first 100 laps (200 miles) there were 10 lead changes and seven leaders.

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